"The Obama administration is setting aside 187,000 square miles in Alaska as a "critical habitat" for polar bears, an action that could add restrictions to future offshore drilling for oil and gas."
"Tom Strickland, assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks at the Interior Department, said the designation would help polar bears stave off extinction, recognizing that the greatest threat is the melting of Arctic sea ice caused by climate change."
Here is a movie by Sophie Keller and Oli Barry showing what might happen if there were only two polar bears left in the world...
Please pardon Mama gnome while she whoops and hollers like a mad gnome.
"Wooohoooo! Woot! Woot! Woot! Woot! Take that Plastic Bag Monster!"
The bane of Mama gnome's existence is this wretched creature, Plastic Bag Monster.
It lives and grows in size in its evil lair, Great Pacific Garbage Patch, fed by its minions of trash monsters including plastic bottles, plastic caps, styrofoam monsters, disposable plastic cutleries, take out containers and by its most prolific minion...plastic bags...
"In Los Angeles County alone, 6 billion plastic bags are used each year, an average of 1,600 bags per household a year. Government figures show that only about 5% are recycled."
It was killed by heavy advertising and lobbying by Plastic Bag Monster's creator: the plastic bag manufacturing industry.
So on that cold September day, Plastic Bag Monster laughed its evil laugh.
But today on this cold November day, Mama gnome laughs back at Plastic Bag Monster's face and she says, "Take that Plastic Bag Monster!"
Please bring your reusable bags everywhere: groceries, bookstores, department stores, farmer's markets...everywhere...so you'll always have one to use instead of taking a plastic bag.
Please bring your own reusable containers to restaurants for your left-overs instead of using take out styrofoam container monsters.
Please help Mama gnome defeat the Plastic Bag Monster and go green.
"...consider habitat loss and poaching for trade to be primary causes of a significant decline in Tiger range and numbers."
"Despite strong international action to eliminate it, illegal trade persists...Although all countries have banned use and manufacture of tiger bone, illegal production persists in several Asian countries, especially in China, Malaysia, and Vietnam."
"In China there are several operations engaged in intensive breeding ("farming" of tigers), with the captive population reportedly reaching 5,000. They are pressuring the government to allow them to produce tiger products, and several are already engaged in illegal production of Tiger bone wine."
"Tiger farming perpetuates and threatens to re-ignite consumer demand."
Educate family, friends, children about the plight of the tigers.
Don't buy fur, be it tiger fur, fox fur, or any other animal because it perpetuates the problem.
Don't buy tiger medicine. Don't use tiger medicine.
Report businesses or people who trade in tiger parts, products. It's illegal and Mama gnome would like to add..."downright #$#^#." That's why.
Don't buy tiger wine.
And Mama gnome would like to add, "Why in the world would you want to drink wine fermented from the bones of this animal? Or any other animal actually...Drink morning elixir instead, so vital for life."
Part of the problem that is killing tigers is habitat destruction, so be aware of products you buy, paper products which contribute to the destruction of their habitat.